Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Keystone Communities Development Grants (KCDG)

Keystone Communities Development Grants (KCDG)

All development activities previously funded under the former Housing and Redevelopment Assistance Appropriation and the New Communities Appropriation are now eligible for funding under this component of the Keystone Communities Guidelines.

This component provides financial assistance for a wide variety of physical improvements including housing, residential and building construction, improvements or redevelopment, infrastructure, property acquisition, grant-to-loan assistance, and costs related to any of the eligible activities. Also included are activities that support Keystone Main Street, Keystone Elm Street, and Keystone Enterprise Zone communities. While funding priority will be given to communities undertaking Main and Elm Street physical improvements, communities and applications without designation status are eligible for most of these grants.

The proposed improvement must have a documented beneficial impact on the community demonstrating public purpose otherwise the funds must be in the form of a loan with re-payment provisions.

These grants can include the revitalization of a neighborhood, downtown or specific location; development of a housing project; provision of site improvements to support the new construction of housing units; acquisition, rehabilitation, and/or new construction of housing which results in homeowner or rental opportunities; rehabilitation of owner-occupied residential properties; acquisition, rehabilitation, and resale of housing units; public improvements to support the rehabilitation of housing units; street improvements,

including streetscape improvements; water and sewer improvements; infrastructure; structural improvements; acquisition, provided there is evidence to support market values, such as an appraisal or recent comparable sales and provided there is funding to implement immediate reuse of the parcel/building; the construction of public site improvements that provide direct benefit to other coordinated community improvement efforts; the rehabilitation or restoration of older or under-utilized buildings for immediate reuse that will support other community development goals; the extension of service through public rights-of-way (i.e., paving or widening of access roads and upgrading water, sanitary or storm sewers); the demolition of a blighted structure (when a reuse plan has been adopted by the community for the cleared site and there is a commitment for private and/or public development).

Some examples of these grants are listed below but not limited to the following:

1. Keystone Façade Grant Funding

The Keystone Facade Grant is designed to stimulate private investment in properties, foster an attractive environment and preserve the architectural heritage of properties. A community-requesting Keystone Facade Grant funding is not required to be a designated Keystone Community; however, funding priority is given to designated communities. The application limit is $50,000 for Main Street and negotiable for other programs. A fee to administer the grant by the applicant is not an eligible expense unless approved by DCED.

a. Keystone Facade Grant Funding Program Requirements:

• These grants are for exterior building improvements in a specific downtown or neighborhood.

• Must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the individual owner of the property for all programs except Elm Street.

• A strong demand for facade funding must be documented in the application.

• The following activities are eligible for reimbursement: Sign programs (storefronts), paint programs, design assistance (refers to uniformity (all) and compliance with the Secretary of Interior Standards (usually Main Street), and building facades (housing and commercial).

b. Elm Street Match Requirements

• A dollar for dollar match is required except for Elm Street projects which require a 10% match as described below.

• Elm Street Match Requirements

– A 10% match from local, private or public sources is required.

– Match can be cash and/or documented in-kind services or goods. Applications are

enhanced in the competitive review when match is provided above the required amounts.

• Keystone Elm Street Facade Grant Match Requirements

– Facade improvements for homeowners must be matched dollar-for-dollar for owners whose income is above 120% of the median income for the community.

– At least a 10% match (cash or in-kind) is required for homeowners whose income is less than 120% of the median.

- Other grant programs such as HOME, CDBG or local funds, may be used to match façade improvements for homeowners whose income is less than 120% of the median income.

– In-kind match must be documented per property.

2. Anchor Building Grants

Generally, Anchor Building grants are renovations to a significant downtown building, usually provided as a grant to the applicant and as a loan to the developer. These grants are generally limited to $500,000 or 30% of project costs, whichever is less. A fee to administer the grant is not an eligible expense by the applicant. A fee to pay for the audit is eligible. These grants-to-loans are repaid to a local Revolving Loan Fund. The municipality where the Anchor Building project is located must be a participant in the

Revolving Loan Fund that receives the loan repayments.

3. Redevelopment Grant-to-Loan

These grants usually support the rehabilitation and/or new construction of a structure(s) on previously developed sites or locations experiencing blighting conditions where a for-profit entity or private sector firm will own the improved building or site after the work is completed.

The funds benefiting private sector individuals or entities must be loaned from and repaid to the local agency receiving DCED Keystone Communities Development Grant funding. DCED must review and approve the financial underwriting of the loan and all loan terms and conditions. The reuse of these loan repayments must be approved by DCED and be consistent with the KC Program. Grants are generally limited to $500,000 or 30% of project costs, whichever is less. A fee to administer the grant is not an eligible expense by the applicant. A fee to pay for the audit is eligible.

Redevelopment Grant-to-Loan Program Requirements

• Identify the project by describing the site location, scope of work, and community benefit.

– To pay for the cost of a Phase I environmental assessment for projects that involve the acquisition of real property.

– To pay for the cost of hazardous waste testing if financing is not available from conventional sources. The lack of conventional financing must be documented.

• Provide the proposed terms and conditions of the loan.

– Annual interest rate.

– Amortization period.

– Description and value of collateral.

– Position of real estate encumbrance.

• Describe the business history of the proposed grant recipient.

• Financial documentation from the borrower evidencing the borrower’s ability to pay back the loan must be submitted with the application.

4. Public Improvement Grant

State financial assistance is available to all Pennsylvania municipalities for a variety of development projects to help eliminate decline, provide gap financing for proposed projects, and assist in a community’s emergency efforts to recover from a natural disaster. Funding priority is given first to communities recovering from a natural disaster and second, to all Keystone designations. DCED will review each proposal on its own merit and determine whether it clearly serves the public purpose, has a strong local financial commitment, is part of a cooperative partnership, and is ready to go. The ultimate owner/user of these grants must be a public entity, a charitable nonprofit, or an income-eligible homeowner. Income-eligible homeowners include low, moderate and middle-income homeowners whose income is up to 120% of the area median income.

Grants are generally limited to $500,000 and require at a minimum a dollar-for-dollar match. Up to 10% of the grant may be used to administer the project. The cost to audit the project must be included within the 10%. Homeowners/renters whose income is up to or less than 120% of the median income in the area are eligible to receive benefits.

Before you apply through Grants.gov for the first time, you must be registered. Registration with Grants.gov:

Is a multi-step process.

Takes time; allow two weeks.

Must be completed before you can submit your application.

Late, ineligible, and incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

In the event of a major emergency (e.g., a hurricane or Grants.gov technological failure), the NEA Chairman may adjust application deadlines for affected applicants. If a deadline is extended for any reason, an announcement will be posted on our website.

202/682-5496 Voice/T.T.Y. (Text-Telephone, a device for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing)

Individuals who do not use conventional print may access these guidelines on the website or contact the Arts Endowment's Accessibility Office at 202/682-5532 for help in acquiring an audio recording of these guidelines.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act

The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 10/26/2012 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis.

If you would like to receive notifications of changes to the grant opportunity click send me change notification emails . The only thing you need to provide for this service is your email address. No other information is requested.

Any inconsistency between the original printed document and the disk or electronic document shall be resolved by giving precedence to the printed document.

Document Type:

Grants Notice

Funding Opportunity Number:

DOI-GRANTS-102204-004

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Posted Date:

Oct 26, 2012

Creation Date:

Oct 26, 2012

Original Closing Date for Applications:

Dec 17, 2012 Pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals are due on Monday, December 17, 2012 by 9:00 PM EST. An email will be sent to confirm receipt of pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals. Pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.

Current Closing Date for Applications:

Dec 17, 2012 Pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals are due on Monday, December 17, 2012 by 9:00 PM EST. An email will be sent to confirm receipt of pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals. Pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.

Archive Date:

Jan 16, 2013

Funding Instrument Type:

Cooperative AgreementGrant

Category of Funding Activity:

EnvironmentNatural Resources

Category Explanation:

Expected Number of Awards:

8

Estimated Total Program Funding:

$2,000,000

Award Ceiling:

Award Floor:

CFDA Number(s):

15.608 -- Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:

Yes

Eligible Applicants

State governmentsCounty governmentsCity or township governmentsPublic and State controlled institutions of higher educationNative American tribal governments (Federally recognized)Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher educationOthers (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:

States, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and Native American Treaty Organizations within the Great Lakes Basin are eligible. Local governments, non-governmental organizations, universities, and conservation organizations (either within or outside of the basin) may receive funding if sponsored by an institution listed above. Proof of sponsorship is not required at the pre-proposal stage, but is required during the review of full proposals to receive funding.

Agency Name

Fish and Wildlife Service

Description

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) requests interested entities to submit restoration, research and Regional Project proposals for the restoration of the Great Lakes Basin fish and wildlife resources, as authorized under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (16 USC 941c). The purpose of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (GLFWRA) is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. Regional Projects are authorized activities of the Service related to fish and wildlife resource protection, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement impacting the resources of multiple States or Indian Tribes with fish and wildlife management authority in the Great Lakes Basin. The Service will be responsible for accomplishing Regional Projects on behalf of the State and/or Tribal agencies submitting the Regional Project proposal. Supported in part by President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a total of approximately $2 million is projected to support projects this fiscal year. Available funding and project awards are subject to final Congressional appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013. Up to 33% of the total Congressional appropriation to the GLFWRA is eligible to fund Regional Projects. Restoration and research projects require a 25% non-federal match. Regional Projects selected shall be exempt from cost sharing if the Service’s Midwest Region Director determines that the authorization for the project does not require a non-Federal cost-share. The two page pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals are submitted to the Service for review. Successful restoration and research applicants are invited to submit full proposals, which are reviewed and ranked by the Proposal Review Committee. Successful restoration and research projects have ranged from $2,300 to $2,000,000 with the average project at $97,720.

Friday, October 26, 2012

When a town gets together to revitalize there is always a
lot of discussion concerning they want to accomplish and how they want to move
forward with any number of projects.When the projects start moving ahead there is a sudden realization concerning
what they really want, that is economic restructuring.In the beginning the question always
arises just what is really economic restructuring and what can be done to
effectuate it.If in the initial
stages, the group simplified economic restructuring to be too general it could
present a problem.

The part about economic restructuring that one has to
realize is that it is really the sum of all the points of the four point main
street strategy working together as a whole.The strategy concerning economic restructuring is a blend
much more than the other points because economic restructuring is often
considered the end result.It is
also the most difficult to define.

When I was in DuBois PA as the Main Street Manager one of
the economic restructuring goals and objectives was to maintain the Commonwealth’s
LCB store in the downtown. Anyone who has had any dealings with the LCB knows
that it is not a small task.In
fact, I have lost LCB state stores in most of the downtowns in which I have
worked.The idea in DuBois was to
continue the current lease in the current location and get the store to re-up
on a new lease.I arranged a
meeting with representatives of the LCB and they straightforwardly stated that
they were on a one-way street that went the wrong way (which was true). They
wanted us to change the way the street traffic went in order to secure their
continued presence in the downtown.

This request by the LCB brought forth the conversation of a
new streetscape for the first time.The new streetscape involved a grant (CDBG) and some serious design
elements.When a streetscape was
done it was considered a design point and not an economic restructuring point
as it has nothing to do with the building adaptive reuse or use…but in this
case it was somewhat connected.We
did all that was asked of us and secured the grant and widened the one-way street
to make it two ways.Problem was
the LCB was shooting hot air in our direction and they moved the store out to
the DuBois Mall area anyway.So we
got some design work complete and we got the street direction changed so you
could go down it from route 219 but we lost an anchor we could not replace.

I like to look at moving real estate sales forward as a way
to work on economic restructuring.It is hard to work with property owners that do not want to do the
necessary improvements to make the store viable.Many times the stores in the downtown need a fresh coat of
paint or a reasonable bathroom for the storeowners and employees to use.If a property owner has owned a
building for a long time he or she will think that, “it is what it is”, and
rent it as is.The best way to
deal with these owners is to get them to sell the property and get someone in
there that wants to make an investment in the community. The new owners will
need to make the stores more rentable and have some sort of game plan concerning
a rental strategy.

I call this strategy the “monopoly strategy” inasmuch as you
ask the person if the property is for sale, get a price and shop the property
(this worked well in Phoenixville).You need not be a realtor to market properties if you are a
revitalization coordinator. You are not writing up the legal papers but instead
making contacts with people that come to you that are looking for property or
space and being a matchmaker…a facilitator of sorts.

Another economic restructuring item in DuBois was the
Pershing Hotel re-use.The hotel
had a topless dancing bar on the first floor coupled with a real nice theatre
that ran lascivious movies and a massage parlor in the rooms above the bar.It was a classic den of iniquity.One of the other economic restructuring
goals was to change that hotel complex over to something more compatible to the
town’s vision of proper use.I
tried playing monopoly and was able to find a buyer who was willing to buy the
property.We ended the nonsense
that was going on there. But really it was a case of watch out what you ask for
because it might come true.

DuBois was the epicenter of prime hunting ground.Every December there would be a herd of
hunters that would descend on DuBois making it a truly Merry Christmas for the
merchants.They were spending
money in the shops, eating in the restaurants and basically raising hell after
days hunting and a few lonely nights in hunting camp with minimal
amenities.When the hunters
arrived in town they could take in a movie downtown, have a beer at the bar and
then potentially relax with a great massage conveniently located in the hotel
rooms above the bar. It was truly a hunter’s oasis.

The first year the bar was closed they still came and hung
out but a lot of them looked at the former bar storefront that now housed an
upscale gift shop and wondered why.The second year less hunters came downtown and by the third year nary a
hunter was to be found.The
economic restructuring goal was complete, although we had completely wiped out
the foot traffic during those two weekends in December.

There was mass discontent with me, the board, and with the
whole program in general by some of the merchants.Although they had hailed the move when it happened, as they were
glad to rid themselves of the seedy element…they failed to recognize that the
impact it had during the two weeks before Christmas. That traffic was never
coming back no matter what you did…even if you reopened the sin complex you
would never fully recover from 3 years when you did not offer the
activity.That tradition of
heading to DuBois to get drunk and have a good time was done and there was
nothing that was going to bring it back.

The overall effort helped eliminate some of the problematic
people that used to hang out downtown during the rest of the year.We were credited with “cleaning up’ the
town but it was always qualified by the acknowledgement of the loss of the
Christmas revenue. It did allow a different element to visit the downtown and
they came as regular people wanting to do regular things.

The merchants embarked on a new effort at Christmas time
that involved a Christmas parade and tree lighting and things got better. The
good people of DuBois were not afraid to bring their wives and daughters into
an area that was not considered safe for women and risky for men…was it worth
it?Opinions varied and since that
was like 1988 I am sure no one remembers. The hotel has long been demolished and
the community has accepted the downtown a little better.Economic restructuring goals can lead
to change.When there is change sometimes
people get upset.Sometimes the
change creates the desired affect and some time it does not.It is hard to predict if everyone will
love or hate the change You can never actually know what the change will bring
until you unleash the change.Make
no mistake about it, restructuring is change. You will be changing the
economics of the downtown.

When
thinking about what changes you want to make…be sure they are well thought out
because there are seldom do-overs.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

FY13 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program

The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 10/22/2012 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis.

If you would like to receive notifications of changes to the grant opportunity click send me change notification emails . The only thing you need to provide for this service is your email address. No other information is requested.

Any inconsistency between the original printed document and the disk or electronic document shall be resolved by giving precedence to the printed document.

Document Type:

Grants Notice

Funding Opportunity Number:

NOAA-NOS-NMS-2013-2003503

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Posted Date:

Oct 22, 2012

Creation Date:

Oct 22, 2012

Original Closing Date for Applications:

Dec 06, 2012

Current Closing Date for Applications:

Dec 06, 2012

Archive Date:

Jan 05, 2013

Funding Instrument Type:

Grant

Category of Funding Activity:

EnvironmentScience and Technology and other Research and Development

Category Explanation:

Expected Number of Awards:

4

Estimated Total Program Funding:

$500,000

Award Ceiling:

$42,000

Award Floor:

$0

CFDA Number(s):

11.429 -- Marine Sanctuary Program

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:

No

Eligible Applicants

Individuals

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Only individuals who are U.S. citizens and are applying to or have been accepted to a U.S. accredited graduate institution to pursue a Master's or Doctoral level degree in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology, (including all science, engineering, social science and resource management of ocean and coastal areas) are eligible for an award under this scholarship program.

Agency Name

Department of Commerce

Description

The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program provides support for independent graduate-level studies in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology (including all science, engineering, social science and resource management of ocean and coastal areas), particularly to women and minorities. Individuals who are U.S. citizens and are applying to or have been accepted to a graduate program at a U.S. accredited institution may apply. Prospective scholars do not need to be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application, but must be admitted to a graduate level program in order to be awarded this scholarship. Scholarship selections are based on academic excellence, letters of recommendations, research and career goals, and financial need. Applicants must have and maintain a minimum cumulative and term grade point average of 3.5 and maintain full-time student status for every term, and for the duration of their award. Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships may provide, subject to appropriations, yearly support of up to $42,000 per student (a 12-month stipend of $30,000 in addition to an education allowance of up to $12,000), and up to $10,000 of support for a four to six week program collaboration at a NOAA facility. Completion of one (1) program collaboration is required for every Doctoral scholarship award, with a second recommended, but not required. For Master's degree level scholars, completion of program collaboration is strongly recommended, but is not required. A maximum of $94,000 may be provided to Master degree students (up to 2 years of support and one program collaboration opportunity) and up to $188,000 may be provided to Doctoral students (up to 4 years of support and two program collaboration opportunities). Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program recipients will be required to participate in a NOAA Orientation Training to meet with Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) staff at a date and location to be determined during the month of either July or August, 2013. If scholarships have not been awarded before this mandatory training, recipients may be required to incur pre-award costs that will be reimbursed after award funds have been issued. The program collaboration opportunity is designed to allow scholars to participate in research activities for four to six weeks at a field office of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, or other NOAA program offices. Federal support for the program collaboration may be used toward allowable costs such as: travel to and from the NOAA facility, housing, per diem, laboratory costs, research vessel support, and consumables while conducting research at the NOAA facility. Scholars are required to provide their own health insurance coverage during the program collaboration. Master's degree level scholars must identify their program collaboration in the first year, and Doctoral scholars must identify their program collaboration within the first two years. Approval from NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is required prior to embarking on the program collaboration. Additional information about the scholarship can be obtained in the full announcement text of the Federal Funding Opportunity.

Link to Additional Information

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: